job search- am i missing anything

Organichu

i know that it's a hard economy, but given that i live in a very big city and it's been over a year now, i feel like it's time to accept that some of the fault rests with me.

i'm looking for basically any job; i'd hope not to work at mcdonald's, but i'd consider it at this point. i've applied to every fast food chain. my experience isn't great (a year of data entry, several years of retail in various places, food service when i was a teen), but i am young, clean cut, i type 100 wpm with good accuracy, i am not totally lacking work experience :[

misc. thoughts:

my resume isn't in TNM but it's definitely not cutting edge or contemporary or 'risky' or anything

i submit in .pdf and .doc

i use a 'real name' email address

i dress well when applying in person

i follow up with a phone call

...

so, what else am i missing

RadicalTurnip

Do you have any friends or acquittances that might have an in for you somewhere? Seriously, applying for jobs is the least efficient way of getting a job. If there's any chance that you can get a good word in somewhere, then go for that. That being said, if you're desperate, call centers are almost always hiring. It's pretty good pay, too, but it's usually not people's thing (which is why the good pay and the hiring).

Other than that, all I can think of is either updating your resume to look really good (and go over it with a fine comb for any spelling or grammar errors) or maybe stop calling with a follow-up and start showing up in person for the follow up? I'm not too sure that this is good advice, but just make sure when you show up (for either the application or the follow up) that you aren't doing it at a time when they're busy. For resturaunts, the ideal time is usually between two and four. Other places, it varies.

Skoal Cat

Do you have higher education and is it on your resume? You don't want to seem overqualified.

Organichu

i completed some college (which i have listed)

ought i omit that entirely, since i didn't finish

Sentry

Organichu wrote: »

i completed some college (which i have listed)

ought i omit that entirely, since i didn't finish

I would. Unless the courses you took are highly relevant, showing that you didn't complete college doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. If you can't list a complete degree, even an associates, I wouldn't list it at all.

ceres

Temping. It blows, but if you can type you can temp and it's money.

TomeWyrm

ceres wrote: »

Temping. It blows, but if you can type you can temp and it's money.

This is sound advice. 100 wpm with good accuracy is golden for temp jobs, and experience with data entry is a plus. You won't make a ton of money this way, but you will have an income while searching for a better job somewhere.

Also, and this is probably the best part of temping, you make connections. Meeting people who might in the future seek to hire you if you do a good job for them.

What city are you in again, chu?

Organichu

i'm in philadelphia

SkyGheNe

Let me reiterate and maybe add to the ideas that others have already given you:

Re: Omitting items from your Resume

• Only put relevant work experience on your resume
• DO NOT put higher education on your resume if you're applying to anything that doesn't require it: ie, don't put that you completed college when applying to target. You'll get eliminated so fast it'll make your head spin.

Re: Temp Agencies

• Very good for finding work and building a network of connections
• Easy to get stuck - so even if you have a temp job, keep applying to other places
• If interested in permanent work, ask the temp agency to prioritize "Temp to Perm" positions. This will place you in jobs with a chance of becoming hired permanently.
• Be sure to thoroughly research your temp agency - there are many crappy ones out there that will take advantage of your (this is the same for temp to perm companies)

Re: Taking 1+ Year to Find a Job

• Don't feel bad about this. While I had several part time jobs during my ideal job hunt, all of them were obtained through people I knew
• It took me 2 years to get the job in the career I wanted and at the company I wanted. I am very happy now, but it took a lot of time
• In the interim, I took odd jobs, worked my part time jobs, but more importantly - continued to expand my skills set (learned photoshop/adobe after effects/excel etc.)

I know job hunting is the most debilitating and humiliating thing - it feels like you never get any ground. But keep trying - persistence is key. I applied 3 times at the place I currently work at before they eventually called me back and offered me a position that they felt was more inline with my skillset. This was also 4 months after my last application.

ceres

I live near Philly as well, and it is positively overflowing with temp agencies. I've worked with a number of them in my area. It's not awful, but if you aren't temp to perm there will definitely be dry spells.

schuss

Just keep trying. Also try for entry level corporate jobs, as they often don't want college degree'd people so they'll stay in the job instead of moving up after 6 months. Comcast is headquartered there, maybe try them? (plus cheap cable!)

Derrick

One thing that you really want to check is that if you're applying by sending your resume online, that the formatting is correct when opened on other machines. I had that embarrassing realization.

MichaelLC

Derrick wrote: »

One thing that you really want to check is that if you're applying by sending your resume online, that the formatting is correct when opened on other machines. I had that embarrassing realization.

If you're on Mac, or have a super old/new version of Office. Send it to anyone with a corporate machine (friend who works in an office) and check it out.

Temps are good, and can lead to perm or LT temping. Robert Half is one of the big ones. Otherwise just get your resume on Dice, Indeed, Monster, etc. and they'll find you.